That should be mandatory customer service training for all tranny shops Jay!
CK5
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Help! Aamco, may have gotten me!
- Thread starter frankc
- Start date
Well, it was a different time, bout 1978 or so. A small shop off the main drag. I was young, stupid and p*ssed off.
I really don't like to get mad.
I tend to break things and hurt people.
My plan was to just stand there with my foot on his face until they finished the tranny.
Realized that it was not practical. So I made him sit on the floor in the grease and whatever while I cleaned my fingernails with a big Buck hunting knife.
Of course, it did not hurt that most of the people who came by asked if they could take turns beating on him.
Lord, that guy had made enemies.
Update:
-I called the shop and will take in tomorrow am.
-I believe it leaking fron a nipple protruding out of the transfer case - 10 oclock - top right passenger side . Found a dangling hose near there and it reaches perfectly. The hose comes from the forward/top transmiision. We'll see.
-The shop says they do paint all trans after cleaning them. Why!!!!
-I believe they snuck in a reconditioned trans for 2 reasons:
1-There is a "rod" that goes from the right side transfer case held in by 2 large bolts. the rod supposedly goes from the transfer case to the top right 2 oclock bell housing. Rod is missing and there is no place to bolt it to on that forward end from 2 oclock bell housing. there is onlt some alignment pins. The 2 bolt holes on the transfer case clearly show it used to be there. I looked at a friends for reference. What is that rod for??
2- Years ago, I striped a trans pan bolt thread and used a heli coil. Right now, there is no larger bolt. They are all the same!!!!!!!!!.
I ran the case numbers 8663548 and they do match a vehicle (truck) from that time frame. But that doesn't mean its mine.
Other issues-the transfer case cross member has the bolt spacers flipped on the driver side, but no the passenger side. So the spacers are between the cross member and frame on one side and not the other.
-there are 2 bolts missing directly under center of the cross member.
I'm pissed!
-I called the shop and will take in tomorrow am.
-I believe it leaking fron a nipple protruding out of the transfer case - 10 oclock - top right passenger side . Found a dangling hose near there and it reaches perfectly. The hose comes from the forward/top transmiision. We'll see.
-The shop says they do paint all trans after cleaning them. Why!!!!
-I believe they snuck in a reconditioned trans for 2 reasons:
1-There is a "rod" that goes from the right side transfer case held in by 2 large bolts. the rod supposedly goes from the transfer case to the top right 2 oclock bell housing. Rod is missing and there is no place to bolt it to on that forward end from 2 oclock bell housing. there is onlt some alignment pins. The 2 bolt holes on the transfer case clearly show it used to be there. I looked at a friends for reference. What is that rod for??
2- Years ago, I striped a trans pan bolt thread and used a heli coil. Right now, there is no larger bolt. They are all the same!!!!!!!!!.
I ran the case numbers 8663548 and they do match a vehicle (truck) from that time frame. But that doesn't mean its mine.
Other issues-the transfer case cross member has the bolt spacers flipped on the driver side, but no the passenger side. So the spacers are between the cross member and frame on one side and not the other.
-there are 2 bolts missing directly under center of the cross member.
I'm pissed!
brace rod hits a stud bolt on the bell housing position . lots of guys mix up the stud bolts and dont get them back in the right place. then when in correct set brace rod up on stud part and swing up to tcase and start the tcase 2 big bolts. tighten down the nut on bell housing area then 2 tcase big bolts.
ya thay half assed a lot under there .
ya thay half assed a lot under there .
Sweetk30,
Why would they not re-install brace rod? Obviously it provides support to the trans case. It is a large rod. It have any other purpose?
I couldnt tell where there was a threaded (female) on the upper bell housing. It just looked like there was guide pins up there. But it was hard to see.
Why would they not re-install brace rod? Obviously it provides support to the trans case. It is a large rod. It have any other purpose?
I couldnt tell where there was a threaded (female) on the upper bell housing. It just looked like there was guide pins up there. But it was hard to see.
Take lots of pictures before taking back in.
And that gentlemen is why I never take any of my vehicles to repair shops.
I would waste the saem amount of time to to go drop it off, take the time to explain what I need done, check it after they are done, go home deal with a problem, take it back deal with it again and having wasted all th egas back and forth, I am ahead if I fix it myself.
I'm right there with you - nobody cares that it's right except for me. And it's always a hassle cutting out of work to meet THEIR schedule. You explain things to the counter guy, but when you ask the mechanic about it later he clearly never heard the details you gave - so the car probably goes back on the rack and now you're waiting, driving, missing work, etc. all over again. Then there are the difficult to diagnose problems that can result in countless rounds of "part swap roulette" in the race to get your car out as quickly as possible. I've had some of my vehicles so long that I usually know what's wrong before I even pull to the side of the road.And that gentlemen is why I never take any of my vehicles to repair shops.
I would waste the saem amount of time to to go drop it off, take the time to explain what I need done, check it after they are done, go home deal with a problem, take it back deal with it again and having wasted all th egas back and forth, I am ahead if I fix it myself.
That being said, this hassle takes way less time than a tranny rebuild, engine rebuild, paint work, etc. and most people don't have the time, tools, facility and bravery to tackle them.
i told you there is a stud bolt.
a bolt with a stud off it that the rod sits on . its a bell housing bolt.
i told you there is a stud bolt.
Interesting
Mine just has a longer bolt that goes through the rod, bell housing, and into the engine block. It all works fine.
I don't know what's going on with your crossmember. Those spacer should NOT be between the crossmember and frame. That is a HUGE no no. I really don't care where you put them, on top of the frame or under the crossmember, but they should be on there somewhere OTHER THAN between the two.
Are you sure you had a rod to begin with? Some are missing or actually taken off by a dealership at some point in time.
The oddball pan bolt is a big deal.
During front suspension movement the front drive shaft expands/contracts. Although they can expand/contract fairly easily it still puts leverage on the t-case. Over time, without that rod, it can cause the t-case/adapter/etc to crack and break. That is a lot of leverage placed that far away from the mounting point which is why the rod is there, to help prevent the push/pull from the front drive shaft.
Some will argue that it's not needed, and say they removed it years ago and it's been fine since. My thoughts are that the engineers put it there for a reason, so I want it there. In your case, it was there when the truck went in, it should be there when the truck is done.
Blue71Chevy
Registered Member
I believe that nipple is the T-case vent, even without the hose it should not be leaking, could be overfilled or you have fluid leaking from the trans into the t-case. either way no good.
The missing rod is unacceptable if it went in with it it should come out with it no exceptions. it helps support the T-case and takes the strain off the adapter. At least they figured out and put in the right model of trans.
sounds like this Aamco may outsource their rebuilds and just have a bunch of untrained, unprofessional monkeys that just swap out transmissions all day long. I would be beyond pissed if this was my truck. continue to document everything that happens and i really hope they fix this correctly. Shops like this make me embarrassed to call myself a mechanic.
CGT80
1/2 ton status
I am glad to have an uncle that owns a trans shop. I dropped my pickup off in the morning to have the Th400 rebuilt. That afternoon it was ready. They rebuilt my original trans and put $750 worth of high performance upgrade parts into it. My uncle only has one guy working for him. His name is Von. My uncle does a lot of the general repairs and leaves the trans builds to Von. I have watched Von pull a trans out of a vehicle in 30 minutes and spend another 20-30 to pull it apart completely so it can be run in the parts washer. He can have a trans put back together with repairs, upgrades, etc. in a couple hours if he has all the right parts. I cut the bell housing off a Th400 with my plasma cutter for them a week or so ago. It was a race unit that got an SFI certified aluminum bell bolted to the pump.
My uncle started out working for an aamco many years ago. It sounds like that place was a joke as well. I try to do as much as I can on my own vehicles, but I won't take on a trans or engine build. I know how complex a trans is and the number of little tips, tricks, and fixes that someone like Von knows is just amazing and worth the price they charge. The only problem is finding that honest person that knows what they are doing.
My uncle started out working for an aamco many years ago. It sounds like that place was a joke as well. I try to do as much as I can on my own vehicles, but I won't take on a trans or engine build. I know how complex a trans is and the number of little tips, tricks, and fixes that someone like Von knows is just amazing and worth the price they charge. The only problem is finding that honest person that knows what they are doing.
Another update - I went there and spoke to the mechanic and owner. Mechanic - clueless. His explanation for missing bolts, cross member spacers cockeyed, unprotected wires, etc was poor. He admitted mistakes and said" if I knew you were particular...." I counseled him and another 2 on the importance of quality work and communication!
They removed the rod from trans case to upper bell housing because they said the bolt was broken off already up forward in the engine. They had the part (rod) in the corner of the shop and the bolts on the tool box! I asked why he didn't tell his manager so i would know a part was broken or that i was leaving with missing stuff! again - clueless! They said - " you don't need it anyway!
On a positive note -i spoke with the trans guy (they hide him in the back room) and he rebuilt the transmission. He discussed all the work he did to MY trans, this and that (he painted it). I believe it is my trans that is back in the blazer. The idiot there just removes/replaces them.
I had a detailed list of my issues and pics (all of which I haven't mentioned here) and the owner was disgusted! He said he would fix everything including the support rod, etc. I am bringing it back Monday and I've been told I am there priority - so hopefully just 1 day in shop. They have to remove everything and drill out bolt to replace the rod. Also, I mentioned the cross member spacers were in different positions - between member and frame and the other below the cross member. Which is correct? When I brought it in, the spacers were with the nut which is below the cross member. The cross member was directly next to the frame. Not sure what is correct as the trans was probably worked on previously. I think the crossmember goes directly to the frame...but, then why are there spacers "under" the cross member? Not sure???
Regarding the leak...I think it is gone as I placed the hose on the nipple of trans case. I checked the trans fluid and it was about 1.5 inch high on the dip stick (that shouldn't matter ) I will check the trans case fluid level tomorrow. Anyone see any issues there?
They will be replacing my dipstick with a new one.
Anyway tks - I'm nervous about taking it back there as quality control is missing, but I have no choice. I told manager to keep the mechanic who screwed this up to stay away from my vehicle. I'm crossing fingers! More to follow
They removed the rod from trans case to upper bell housing because they said the bolt was broken off already up forward in the engine. They had the part (rod) in the corner of the shop and the bolts on the tool box! I asked why he didn't tell his manager so i would know a part was broken or that i was leaving with missing stuff! again - clueless! They said - " you don't need it anyway!
On a positive note -i spoke with the trans guy (they hide him in the back room) and he rebuilt the transmission. He discussed all the work he did to MY trans, this and that (he painted it). I believe it is my trans that is back in the blazer. The idiot there just removes/replaces them.
I had a detailed list of my issues and pics (all of which I haven't mentioned here) and the owner was disgusted! He said he would fix everything including the support rod, etc. I am bringing it back Monday and I've been told I am there priority - so hopefully just 1 day in shop. They have to remove everything and drill out bolt to replace the rod. Also, I mentioned the cross member spacers were in different positions - between member and frame and the other below the cross member. Which is correct? When I brought it in, the spacers were with the nut which is below the cross member. The cross member was directly next to the frame. Not sure what is correct as the trans was probably worked on previously. I think the crossmember goes directly to the frame...but, then why are there spacers "under" the cross member? Not sure???
Regarding the leak...I think it is gone as I placed the hose on the nipple of trans case. I checked the trans fluid and it was about 1.5 inch high on the dip stick (that shouldn't matter ) I will check the trans case fluid level tomorrow. Anyone see any issues there?
They will be replacing my dipstick with a new one.
Anyway tks - I'm nervous about taking it back there as quality control is missing, but I have no choice. I told manager to keep the mechanic who screwed this up to stay away from my vehicle. I'm crossing fingers! More to follow
some of the stuff you listed is bull 
broken bolt for brace rod
full of should have fixed it in the first place.
i dont know of any real mechanic that takes pics of bad stuff on every job he does so how did the reman guy just happen to have pics.
and a auto tranny over filled is just as bad as under filled. so thay didnt do the job correctly then if you are over filled on fluid.
if me i would be there and watch and have the stuff shown to me as thay fix it this time.
broken bolt for brace rod
full of should have fixed it in the first place. i dont know of any real mechanic that takes pics of bad stuff on every job he does so how did the reman guy just happen to have pics.
and a auto tranny over filled is just as bad as under filled. so thay didnt do the job correctly then if you are over filled on fluid.
if me i would be there and watch and have the stuff shown to me as thay fix it this time.
1BEATK5
1/2 ton status
i bet they broke the bolt off during installation. then said f--k it and left it off.
Stomis
Professional Amateur
The crossmember is suppose to be mounted flat against the frame with the spacers up inside between the inside of the frame and the head of the bolt. Then put through the frame and a nut from the bottom.
That is the factory way theyre suppose to come.
Its like that in order to have a bolt long enough to actually give some stretch when fastened.
That is the factory way theyre suppose to come.
Its like that in order to have a bolt long enough to actually give some stretch when fastened.
this x a gazillion
Stomis thanks! I understand the 1st part.... (The crossmember is suppose to be mounted flat against the frame) Thats how it was originally.
The 2nd part confuses me..... (with the spacers up inside between the inside of the frame and the head of the bolt. Then put through the frame and a nut from the bottom.
Clarification - I believe it should be - from top to bottom
Bolt head
Frame
Cross member
spacer
nut
I think....Right???
The 2nd part confuses me..... (with the spacers up inside between the inside of the frame and the head of the bolt. Then put through the frame and a nut from the bottom.
Clarification - I believe it should be - from top to bottom
Bolt head
Frame
Cross member
spacer
nut
I think....Right???
that would work too, but you end up with the spacers and nut coming down from the frame. It really should be:
nut
spacer
frame
member
head
mix in a couple washers
nut
spacer
frame
member
head
mix in a couple washers
